Turkey, Greece Cruise on Riviera from Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul is Turkey's most populous city, and its cultural and financial center. It is also one of the largest cities in Europe and the world. Located on both sides of the Bosphorus, the narrow strait between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea, Istanbul bridges Asia and Europe both physically and culturally. Istanbul attracts visitors not only for its history and its monuments, but also for their way of life and its lovely people. It is the city of churches, synagogues and thousands of mosques Istanbul is the city of the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Suleymaniye, Grand Bazaar and Topkapi and Dolmabahce palaces.

Kavala

Kusadasi (Turkey)

With a mix of modern beach resorts alongside traditional bazaars, Kusadasi is a popular tourist destination on the Aegean coast in the Aydin Province of Turkey. Aside from its golden sandy beaches and warm clear waters, Kusadasi boasts a variety of attractions most famous of which is Ephesus, the Mediterranean’s best-preserved classical city. Marble pillars of the Library of Celsus support intricate friezes and sculptures, while the enormous theatre delivers superb views over the city. Visitors can also discover Kusadasi on horseback, swim with the horses at Pamucak Beach or take time to visit array of stalls and shops that comprise the local bazaar.

Rhodes

Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is located northeast of Crete, southeast of Athens and just off the Anatolian coast of Turkey. Historically, Rhodes was famous worldwide for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The medieval Old Town of the City of Rhodes has been declared a World Heritage Site. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe. From there you can access Lindos and its famous Acropolis which can be accessed on foot or by donkey.

Alanya (Turkey)

Alanya is a beach resort city and a component district of Antalya Province in the Mediterranean Region on the southern coast of Turkey. Because of its natural strategic position on a small peninsula into the Mediterranean Sea below the Taurus Mountains, Alanya has been a local stronghold for many Mediterranean-based, including the Ptolemaic, Seleucid, Roman, Bysantine, and Ottoman Empires. Alanya's greatest political importance came in the Middle Ages, , with the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum under the rule of Alaeddin Kayqubad I, from whom the city derives its name. His building campaign resulted in many of the city's landmarks, such as the Kizik Kule (Red Tower), Tersane (Shipyard), and Alanya Castle.The Mediterranean climate, natural attractions, and historic heritage makes Alanya a popular destination for tourism, and responsible for nine percent of Turkey’s tourism sector and thirty percent of foreign purchase of real estate in Turkey. Warm-weather sporting events and cultural festivals take place annually in Alanya.

Bodrum (Turkey)

Bodrum is one of the most turistic places in Turkey. Hundreds of thousands fo tourists arrive there each year. In Bodrum you will enjoy of a good service of hotels on full board, you can go shopping through the animated center of the city or you can rest on the beach. Nightlife is animated fun until dawn. The bright sea water around Bodrum is an splendid place for scuba diving, with it's reefs and coves, and it's colorful marine life. In the center of the city you can find the Mausoleum of Maussollos, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, and also the Castle of Bodrum, that represents the architecture of the crusaders, built by the Knights Hospitaller and the Museum of Underwater Archaeology.

Santorini

Santorini is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from Greece´s mainland The island remains the home of a small, but flourishing, wine industry, based on the indigenous grape variety, Assyrtiko, with auxiliary cultivations of two other Aegean varietals, Athiri and Aidani. Wine Industry The vines are extremely old and resistant to phylloxera (attributed by local winemakers to the well-drained volcanic soil and its chemistry), so the vines needed no replacement during the great phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century. In their adaptation to their habitat, such vines are planted far apart, as their principal source of moisture is dew, and they often are trained in the shape of low-spiralling baskets, with the grapes hanging inside to protect them from the winds. Architecture The traditional architecture of Santorini is similar to that of the other Cyclades, with low-lying cubical houses, made of local stone and whitewashed or limewashed with various volcanic ashes used as colours. The unique characteristic is the common utilisation of the hypóskapha: extensions of houses dug sideways or downwards into the surrounding pumice

Athens (Piraeus)

Athens, the capital city of Greece is an active cosmopolitan mix of different cultures and people, passionate about their art and history. The climate is one of the best in Europe, with mild winters and very hot summers, ideal for tourism. It is located just a few miles from the port of Piraeus, the central commercial port of the capital, and the shores of southern Attica. The main attractions of Athens are The Ancient Agora, Anafiotika, The Acropolis, Mount Lycabettus, Thiseion Cinema, Gazi, Monastiraki Flea Market, Pireaus seaside, Pireaus open air market, Kastella Hill, Veakio open air theatre and Piraeus Archaeological.